- Jun 13, 2007
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As a Calvinist, I've seen the "proof texts" that show God being intimately in control over both the believer and the unbeliever. But I would think that control of every facet of man's belief and actions, right down to the firing of the synapses that cause certain behavior and thoughts, would logically not require a relationship. If Philippians 2:13 is taken literally, then it is God who has a relationship with God...and the Arminians are correct in their accusation of Calvinism as God simply interacting with Man as robots.
Sproul, in my study Bible, makes mention of free will and the ability to make moral decisions, as opposed to free AGENCY and the ability to make day-to-day decisions. We have free agency. We do not have free will.
However, if I'm not mistaken, Calvin, the WCF, and many Reformed scholars will still assert that God controls His world to synapse-level, "ordering our steps" for both the elect and the reprobate. And at the same time we have a Bible that asserts a relationship with the Father through the Son.
So would our will, our decisions, our actions, our being...all be an illusion? If so we are not better off philosophically than the atheist's view of things, with synapses providing emotions that have no real purpose, just chemicals lying to us.
I do have a hypothesis, but I end up being a "free-will" Calvinist as a result. In the meantime I'd like to hear some other answers, hopefully better ones than what I've come up with.
Sproul, in my study Bible, makes mention of free will and the ability to make moral decisions, as opposed to free AGENCY and the ability to make day-to-day decisions. We have free agency. We do not have free will.
However, if I'm not mistaken, Calvin, the WCF, and many Reformed scholars will still assert that God controls His world to synapse-level, "ordering our steps" for both the elect and the reprobate. And at the same time we have a Bible that asserts a relationship with the Father through the Son.
So would our will, our decisions, our actions, our being...all be an illusion? If so we are not better off philosophically than the atheist's view of things, with synapses providing emotions that have no real purpose, just chemicals lying to us.
I do have a hypothesis, but I end up being a "free-will" Calvinist as a result. In the meantime I'd like to hear some other answers, hopefully better ones than what I've come up with.